Safety device for elevators



(No Model.)

P. SCHMIDT.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

No. 432,443. PatentedJuly 15, 1890 INVENTOI? 25% By M 5x A TTOHNE Y8 me mums PETERS co, momumo wnsuwcnun, n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

PHIL IPP SCHMIDT, OF LACROSSE, \VISCONSIN.

SAFETY DEVlCE FloR- ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,443, dated July 15, 1890. Application filed March 31,1890. serial No. 346,120. (No model.)

To-aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHILIPP SCHMIDT, of La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of Visconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Elevators, of which'the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The objects of this invention are to provide a simple device which may be actuated by manual or other power, and that will automatically lock the elevator case or platform instantly if the hoisting rope or chain-breaks, and, further, to furnish the elevator mechanism with means for controllingthe ascent or descent of the platform or cage from said.

moving cage or platform, and also from without the same at different points.

Vith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which are hereinafter described, and indicated in the claims.

Reference is to be made to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1;is a side elevationof the elevator with its frame broken below the platform, the locking mechanism beingin loosened adj ustment to permit free reciprocal movement of the elevator-platform. Fig. 2 is a side eleva-' tion, partly sectional, of the device with the safety attachment in locked adjustment, holding the platform firmly secured to the uprights of the frame. Fig. 3 is a plan in section of the elevator-frame, taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, showing the locking mechanism in loose adj ustment; and Fig. tis a perspec-f tive view of one limb of the locking device detached from the elevator.

The frame A of the elevator consists of two upright oppositely-located parallel timbers;

or metal beams may be used therefor. These frame-uprights are held spaced apart by the usual rectangular well-hole frames at each floor, one of said frames being shown broken There are projecting tongues 1') formed upon the inner faces of the upright frame-timbers A, or these may be attached thereto,if preferred, said tongues being adapted to retain the platform or cage 13 in sliding contact with the upright frametimbers, there being grooved guiding-standards c, secured to the opposite sides of the platform B, which standards are connected at their upper ends by the transverse beam (1.

.The grooves of the standards, having sliding .contact with the guide-tongues I), retain the platform from lateral displacement, free to move vertically upon the frame.

Upon the transverse beam (1, near its center of length, a heavy weight 6, preferablyin the form of a rectangular block, is suspended by two vertical parallel opposite limbs f, that are connected to the block by .their lower ends, and so placed apart that they will loosely embrace the sides of the beam cl, and be held from displacement by the plates g, which form keepers for the limbs f, and are securedto the beam by any suitable means. The upper ends of the limbs f areheld connected bythe parallel cross-bolts h, that pass through aligning perforationsin the end portions of the limbs, and are therein secured by. nuts on their ends. On the top bolt hafiexible rope 0, preferably of wire, is attached, which extends over a pulley 1', that is bracketed to the upper cross-timber A of the frame, and thence the wire rope is led downwardly to an elevator-drum or other similar device actuated by'hand or power, whereby the cage or platform B is suspended and controlled.

At the cent-erof and beneath the platform B a strong bracket -frame it, having two spaced limbs, is attached, this bracket being secured. toftransverse timbers of 'the platform-frame. The spacebetween the limbs of the bracket 70 is proportioned to receive the lapped bodies of the locking-arms m and permit them to vibrate freely. At the point where the arms or cross each other, which is near their longitudinal centers, said arms are reduced in thickness one-half, so that when the thinner port-ions of the arms are adjusted together in the form of a lapped pliers-joint the main portions of the same will have their sides level and parallel. The limbs of the bracket-frame 75, which is designed to support the locking-arms m, are oppositely perforated at proper points, these holes being vertically elongated a proper degree to allow the transverse bolt or journal-pin n to slide in the slot slightly when the arms are vibrated thereon. A short bend is produced in the arms near their lower terminals of such a degree as to align the rectangular enlargements 0 of said ends with the vertical adjacent faces of the frame-timbers A. Thelower ends 0 of the crossed arms at are grooved 011 their faces to permit the same to loosely embrace the sides of the tongues 11, the parallel flanges produced by the channels mentioned being designed to abut squarely against the main faces of the frame-timbers A when the arms at are adjusted to lock the platform B fast to said timbers, and to afford a surface which will not be liable to slip, and also to slightly cushion the impact of the arms thereon. A facing 0 is secured upon the flanges of the ends 0, which will engage the vertical timbers A when free to do so.

To afford means for automatically spreadin g the arms m, and consequently locking the platform B from falling, two parallel bars 1) are employed. These are pivoted by one end of each to the depending spaced hangers p, the flanges p of which are secured to the under side of the platform-timbers, At the longitudinal centers of the bars 1) slightly-oblon g orifices are formed, which extend longitudinally, so that these elongated orifices have their major axis at right angles to the vertieally-elongated bolt-holes in the limbs of the hanger-bracket 7;, which carries the arms on, and as these holes cross each other it is evident that the bolt n,which passes through all, may slide a limited distance vertically and horizontally in the slots named, whereby free adjustment is afforded to the arms m, which are also engaged by said bolt a. It will be noticed that the upper ends 071 of the arms on have a hearing or loose contact with the center timber of the platform-frame, which is necessary for the proper operation of the arms when adjusted to lock fast against the upright timbers A. Upon the beam (Z a low bracket-stand q is secured between the limbs f and one upright frame-timber A, upon which is pivoted the tripping-lever s, the point of pivoted support of which is nearer-to one end, thus affording increased leverage to the long arm .9 of this lever. At 8 near the terminal end of the short arm of the pivoted trippinglever s, a connecting-rod t is loosely jointed thereto by its upperend, the lower end of the rod being fastened to a transverse spacingbolt '1), which is secured to the free ends of the parallel bars 1), and upon the same bolt a short lanyard t is attached by one end. Its upper portion, engaging a bracketed pulley 25 hangs pendent therefrom, having a weighted handle-block f. on its terminal. A rope u is attached by one end to the terminal 8 of the tripping-lever s and extended upwardly, engaging the bracketsupported pulley u, thence to the similarly-supported pulley 14 which is attached to depend from the end of an outwardly-projected portion of the frame "U, which latter may be a part of a well-hole frame. From the pulley the rope M depends, it being extended downwardly through the building to the basement or lower floor close to the elevator.

I On the end of the long arm 5' of trippinglever s a rod or wire rope to is fastened, which hangs pendent, it being of proper length to afford convenient means to depress this end of the lever manuallyby the occupant of the platform B. An elongated metal billet 11:,being placed on or attached to the lower end of the rod 20, serves to depress the end of the tripping-lever it is attached to when free to do so. It will be noticed that on account of superior weight the lower ends of the locking-arms or will drop sufficiently to remove their bearing-faces from square contact with the sides of the frame-timbers A, the slots in the parallel bars 1) and limbs of bracket 7s allowing such an adjustment to take place when the main hoisting-rope G is drawn and the elevator-platform B hoisted.

In explanation of the coacting adjustment of parts that effects a release of the lockingarms on from the frame guide-posts A when the platform is free to move, as shown in Fig. 1, the weighted block e is lifted by a draft upon the rope C until it engages the lower side of the transverse beam (1, which will remove thelower cross-bolt h from contact with the long arm 5 of tripping-lever .9, thus permitting the ends of the parallel bars 1) by their connection thereto to rock the trippinglever on its pivotal support, the depression of the ends of these bars being effected by the imposed weight of the locking-arn'ls m and their own weight also. hen the parts are in adjustment, as shown in Fig. 1, there is but little frictional resistance to the upward or downward movement of the platform B through the rope C, and in case the elevator is operated manually from the platform by draft on the rope C said platform can be stopped at any point by slacking the rope C and pulling on the weight 'w' or the handleblock if on the lanyard t, either of which will raise the free ends of the parallel bars 1') and spread the locking-arms m. In case other power is used which is located below the elevator, and the latter is employed for freight elevation, the rope a may be used to lock the platform B at any desired point when motion is arrested. If the main rope C is suddenly broken while the occupied elevator is being raised, the instantaneous fall of the heavy block 0 will permit the pendent counterbalaneing weight or billet w to fall, which in turn will lower the tripping-lever long arm .9 and by its connection with the parallel bars 1) elevate their free ends, which will draw the crossed locking-arms m up, so that the enforced contact of their upper ends m with the elevator-platform will spread them and force their lower ends against the guide-posts A, the weight of the released platform and load added rendering the contact of the arms more secure.

oted locking-arms suspended from the lower side of said platform or cage with their upper ends in sliding contact with the said lower side and their lower ends extending adjacent to the respective guides and provided with clamping-faces, an operating-bar pivoted on the platform and connected with the pivot of said two arms, and means for operating said bar, whereby when the two arms are raised their upper ends will'slide apart on the lower face of the platform to throw their opposite ends against the said guides,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a frame having two parallel uprights that serve as guides, a platform which engages these guides, and a draft-rope for the platform, of two crossed pivoted locking-arms which are hung below from the platform with their upper ends in sliding contact with said platform and their lower ends adjacent to said guides, and devices which will spread the arms and cause their lower ends to clutch the frame-guides, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with an elevator-frame having two upright opposite parallel guides, a platform between the guides loosely engaged therewith, upright standards on the platform that are connected by a transverse beam, a heavy weight pendent from the transverse beam and adapted to slide vertically a limited distance, and a draft-rope attached to this sliding weight, of a pair of crossed pivoted locking-arms hung below from the platform with their upper ends in sliding contact with the lower side of the platform and their lower ends adjacent to the respective guides, and devices which connect the weight above with the locking-arms below, whereby the latter are made to clutch the frame-guides when the platform falls at abnormal speed, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with two upright, opposite, and parallel guides of an elevatorframe, a sliding platform that has its uprightst-andards in loose engagement with the guides, a vertically-sliding weight loosely supported by a cross-beam on these posts, an extended draft-rope which is attached to the sliding weight, and atripping-lever pivoted near one of its ends upon the transverse beam of the platform guide-posts, of two pendent crossed and pivoted locking-arms which are hungbelow the platform-frame therefrom, two parallel bars having pivotal support at one end, and also near their center upon the bracketlimbs which carry the lockin g-arms, a connecting-rod between the free ends of theparallel bars and the short arm of the tripping-lever, and a pull rod or rope having a weight thereon which is pendent from the long arm of the tripping-lever, substantially as set forth.

PHILIPP SCHMIDT.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES KURTENACKER, ED ELDER. 

